WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, speaks to the media after finding out the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing at which he was to appear was canceled, ...WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, speaks to the media after finding out the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing at which he was to appear was canceled, on September 19, 2017 in Washington, DC. The committee is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)MORE LESS

Contradicting repeated denials by President Donald Trump and his White House staff, Michael Cohen reportedly claims to know that Trump knew about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting before it happened and Trump approved going forward with it, CNN reported.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke to CNN, Cohen claims he was present when Donald Trump Jr. told Donald Trump about the potential meeting with a Russian lawyer, promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, and Trump green-lit it. While he doesn’t have any evidence to validate his claims, Cohen is reportedly willing to share that information with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Cohen reportedly hopes that the information he can share about the Trump Tower meeting will get him access to Mueller and possibly reduce his legal repercussions. While he hasn’t been charged with anything, federal investigators are conducting a criminal probe into Cohen’s business dealings.

Trump has claimed he didn’t know the meeting had even occurred until the New York Times asked him about it in July 2017, more than a year after the fact.

Nicole Lafond (@Nicole_Lafond)
is a newswriter for TPM based in New York. She has a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and previously worked as an education reporter at The News-Gazette in Champaign, Illinois.